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Last Update: March 09, 2023, 16:59 IST
China has warned that it is more vulnerable to climate change than other countries, with extreme weather expected to increase in the coming years. (File photo: Reuters)
More than a dozen major Chinese cities this week recorded record high temperatures for this time of year, with central China’s Wuhan and Zhengzhou more than 10C (18F) above normal for early March
Parts of northern China were hit by high temperatures on Thursday that broke seasonal records, with the imperial city recording 31.8 Celsius (89 Fahrenheit), official data showed.
Besides Shahe, regions such as Gaoyi, Yongnian and Handan, all in Hebei province, surpassed the 30C mark earlier in the year, with the first half of March also experiencing their highest temperatures on record.
“We are witnessing a rapidly warming Earth with all-time high temperatures today,” China’s official weather forecaster said on the Weibo social media platform.
More than a dozen major Chinese cities this week recorded record high temperatures for this time of year, with Wuhan and Zhengzhou in central China up to 10C (18F) above normal for early March.
Last month, some southern regions also reported the arrival of spring nearly 20 days earlier than usual, according to the China Meteorological Administration (CMA).
China has warned that it is more vulnerable to climate change than other countries, with extreme weather expected to increase in the coming years.
A foreign study published this year also said that 16 of the 20 global regions most at risk from climate change were in China.
CMA expert, Zhang Jingying, told the media that the increase in average temperatures in China was expected to be much higher than the global level, with record-breaking temperatures becoming “a regular occurrence”.
“Current extreme high temperature events that occur once every 50 years will occur every one or two years by the end of the 21st century,” he told the National Business daily newspaper in an interview.
In December, the capital Beijing introduced rules to curb projects that use too much water after last summer’s extreme heat and prolonged drought fueled water and power supply shortages.
The Beijing Daily reported that the new rule increases penalties for wasting water.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)